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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25344226">Being the Unbeatable Champion's Brother</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist'>BabyChocoboAlchemist</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Operation: Protect and Love Hop [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Suicide Attempt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:26:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,840</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25344226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Victor’s very much like an enraged Machamp, fighting against the three of them with everything he has, despite being bone-weary himself, overflowing with anger-</p><p><i>”You fucking bastard! How could you?! What were you thinking?! Or were you even thinking?! How could you?!”</i><br/>-----------------------------------------------</p><p>COMPLETE! An encounter with Bede pushes Hop to try the unthinkable. A heart-to-heart between brothers ensues, and Hop confronts the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt. How do his loved ones react to him trying to take his life? Does he welcome still being alive, or would he rather leave everything behind?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop/Sonia (Pokemon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Operation: Protect and Love Hop [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817446</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Snowy Discovery at Circhester</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, my dears. Thank you for joining another one of my Pokemon adventures. :) I'm glad you're here to support another edition of 'Operation: Protect and Love Hop'. A series that started because I was in dire need of fluff during 4th of July weekend. That need hasn't left me, so here I am, putting Hop at the center of yet another piece. </p><p>The riddle Sonia tells Hop came from a website I found through Yahoo, searching for Pokemon-themed jokes. While writing the exchange between them, I almost had this turned into a Sonia + Hop piece, despite me starting out with it as Trainshipping. If you would rather have it end up as Trainshipping or Sonia + Hop shipping, please feel free to let me know! :)</p><p>Take me launching yet another full-scale Pokemon battle against those that think Hop is an annoying, flat character. I mean, him talking about 'super effective' moves is kind of annoying and cheesy, but that's mostly a gimmick the writers shoved into the battles for some reason, so Hop doesn't really lose any points for that, so...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>He’s disappearing. It’s just as it should be.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His Pokemon are tucked away in Circhester’s Pokemon Center, unaware of what’s going on, unaware of the blood creeping out from underneath his skin and spilling onto the snowy earth below. Wooloo and the rest of his crew are safe and sound, in the best of hands, and will eventually be passed onto a trainer that will take much better care of them. It’s just as it should be. They didn’t need a useless loser dragging them around anyway. It’s just as it should be. They’ll shine and thrive in the care of a much better, a much stronger trainer.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Victor’s going to be just fine without him. He grimaces, clutching his arm while a new wave of pain seizes it, but he welcomes it. It assures him the end is fast approaching. So he shuts his eyes again, embracing the pain, embracing the wetness his fingers collide with. His back slumps against the snowy earth as his mind goes through a blurry reel of events. Images. Faces. Memories of those he loves. Victor. Leon. All of them are going to be fine. They’re going to be much better off without a dead weight dragging them through the mud.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Leon definitely doesn’t need him around. What good is a half-baked Pokemon Trainer to a Champion? The Unbeatable Champion?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His mother doesn’t need him, either. Why would she, when she has the Unbeatable Champion for a son? Sure, it was amazing, seeing Leon’s photos plastered all over every wall at home, but now they're a reminder of how useless he really is. As a brother, as a Pokemon Trainer, and as a person.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He sighs, smiling, despite the powerful urge to scream. The mountains are a blurry, deafening blend of snow white and rose red. He’s nothing but a mass of tears, rose red rivers and torn skin as he lies in wait. Waiting for the end, he is, with everything to lose and nothing to gain. Every crevice of his soul is screaming, bleeding, weeping, but he quietly lies in wait. It’s just as it should be anyway.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>No one needs him.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hop smiles. He weeps, screams, wants someone to help him, but he smiles. He grips his bleeding arm and smiles, hidden from the rest of Galar, waiting for an end that’s just seconds away. He smiles, knowing that it’s for the best, knowing that everything is just as it should be, knowing his Pokemon will eventually go off to a much better trainer, Victor will continue shining even brighter than the cosmos, and Leon-</i>
</p><p>
  <i>It’ll be as if Hop never even existed. It’s just as it should be.</i>
</p><p>----------------------------------------</p><p>But if everything was as it should have been, why is he able to open his eyes? </p><p>Why does he still feel so alive? Why is it that life is still flooding him, rushing into him, speeding through his veins like electricity? And his heart’s still beating. Wasn’t dying supposed to be an out-of-body experience? And why are there so many voices around him? Why? Why does it feel as though he can plant his feet firmly on the earth? Where is he? No sign of Arceus, but there are faces, so many faces, all of them blurry, enshrouded in tears-</p><p>Arms are cast about his neck, like lifelines to stranded sailors. He struggles to breathe as the arms keep him in a chokehold, unwilling to let go even if Zacian demands it. And there are tears. The person hugging him is crying. Hard. Wait-he’s saying something about ‘little brother’. It’s Leon. Leon. <i>Leon.</i> The rest of his words are incomprehensible, but Hop can make out two of them. His brother has been transformed into a completely different person, no longer the warm and charismatic Champion, but a weeping, terrified, relieved friend.</p><p>A <i>brother.</i></p><p>There are other voices too. Other faces. One of them might be Victor’s, but Hop isn’t sure. It’s hard to make anything out, other than tears and Leon crying out to his ‘little brother’. Someone else casts their arms about Hop’s neck a moment later, instantly recognized as his mother. Both his older brother and mother weep themselves raw, both saying incomprehensible things, both of them crying over <i>him.</i> Everything’s upside down. He’s in a room somewhere, with Leon and his mother and other people, but everything was supposed to be different. He wasn’t supposed to wake up. He was supposed to do everyone a favor and <i>disappear.</i> But-</p><p>Hop wraps his arms around Leon and his mother as much as he can. His arms feel like gelatin, and his chest is seconds away from caving in, but he gently wraps his arms about them. Their foreheads meet. They weep together, Leon and his mother happy to have him back but broken, Hop bewildered but relieved, surprised, grateful to have them so close. He isn’t aware of what they know-do they know his wounds were self-inflicted? They <i>must</i> know. The Galar Region is one of the safest regions around. Violent crimes against people or Pokemon didn’t happen too often. They rarely happened <i>at all.</i> So they know. They have to know. His Pokemon probably know, too. Victor knows.</p><p>Leon says something to him, cupping his face while peering straight into his eyes. Guilt hits Hop harder than an Onix’s body slam, making it impossible to breathe for a long, excruciating minute. Never before has Leon looked so sad, so worried. Hop can’t make out what his brother’s saying but everything hurts because Leon’s so sad. He and his mother make way for someone else to approach his bedside-who is it? Sonia? No, she’s sitting beside his mother, her face also wreathed in tears and worry. Wait-they’re coming closer. It’s-</p><p>Victor. Holding his sobbing Wooloo.</p><p>Guilt rams into Leon’s little brother once again. He opens his mouth to speak, hoping to offer some sort of explanation, some sort of apology, but nothing comes out. His voice is still missing, stolen by bone-deep exhaustion and pain. Victor doesn’t give him much time to think of an explanation, though, racing towards him with fire that rivals Charizard’s. The other trainer’s eyes are like wildfires, merciless, unyielding, able to sweep anything and everything into a fiery vortex. The trainer himself is a ball of fire, every crevice of his being overflowing with wrath, that fury emerging in his voice as he cries out:</p><p>“Hop, you <i>bastard!”</i></p><p>Leon, his mother and Sonia rush to restrain their infuriated friend. Wooloo’s bleating in his arms all the while, crying at the top of his lungs for his trainer, his friend, not at all comfortable with where anything is going. Victor’s very much like an enraged Machamp, fighting against the three of them with everything he has, despite being bone-weary himself, overflowing with anger-</p><p>
  <i>”You fucking bastard! How could you?! What were you thinking?! Or were you even thinking?! How could you?!”</i>
</p><p>Hop winces, crushed underneath an avalanche of guilt, sadness. Pain. Doctors and their Pokemon rush into his operating room, immediately alert, rushing about to see what needs to be addressed. A doctor and his Pokemon rush to Hop’s side, the former asking if he’s all right, while the others urgently tell Victor to calm down, or he’ll have to leave the room. Hop opens his mouth, wanting to tell them it’s okay, Victor has every right to be angry, but once again, nothing comes out. But then Leon’s face comes into view again, covered in tears. Pain. So is his mother’s. Victor is a stone wall against the doctors, his friends and his family, unwilling to leave the room without strangling its original occupant, the doctors and their Pokemon are furiously working to push the stone wall out of the room, Wooloo’s crying-</p><p>
  <i>”Wait!”</i>
</p><p>All of Galar freezes. All eyes are on him, waiting for an uncertain future to keep unfolding. Hop clutches his throat; that word came out of <i>him.</i> He hurries, knowing his voice is dangerously close to disappearing again. “It’s okay,” he tells the doctors and their Pokemon, head bowed, hands clutching his throat, tears painting the sheets. Circhester’s chill rides the air and flows straight into his bones, chilling everything within. Leaving nothing untouched. Hop speaks and he hopes they can understand him, because he can’t even understand himself.</p><p>“It’s okay. He can stay.” </p><p>Quiet continues to seize the room. Wooloo’s cries simmer into whimpers, but the little creature is still clearly in distress, still wriggling in Victor’s arms, fighting his hardest to pop out of his arms and into Hop’s. Fortunately, the doctors and their Pokemon back away from Victor, their faces wreathed in immense concern and affection, on stand-by just in case something else is right around the corner. As others attend to Hop’s physical condition, checking on nearby computer monitors and clipboards, one of the older doctors turns to Victor with a fatherly expression, a stern, urgent look made of the deepest concern. The doctor’s Corvisquire is at his side, the Pokemon’s face also a portrait of poignant concern. “I can’t even <i>begin</i> to fathom how upset you must be,” the gentleman tells the fuming young trainer. “But <i>please,</i> please try your best to calm down. Our patient is in an <i>incredibly</i> fragile condition. You may stay, since this young man is clearly comfortable with you being here, but please try to remain calm.”</p><p>Victor’s quiet, but the wrath flowing within him and from him rivals Entei’s flame. Wooloo, still trapped in Victor’s arms, probably exhausted beyond words, goes back to weeping for the friend he can’t reach. Leon, Hop’s mother and Sonia tell the enraged Victor things, mostly likely trying to keep him calm, but the brunette’s words cut into Hop deeply, crystal-clear and merciless, as if Charizard’s claws are ripping the flesh off his bones. “Oh, I’ll be quiet,” he snarls, his eyes flashing, menacing, his entire body on fire. “But you can <i>best believe</i> I’m far from happy. Faaaaaaar from happy. If you think I’m letting <i>this</i> slide, think again.”</p><p>Hop finds his voice again, and calls out his friend’s name, hurting, everything hurting, screaming inside of him. Victor doesn’t bite, instead pressing into greater anger, his eyes and voice furious, tearful, unyielding. Despite being small and slender, the brunette is very much like a Rhydon ready to tear down a mountain with his bare hands. “Mind explaining yourself, mate?” he demands, his eyes cutting into Hop’s. Leon lands a hand on Victor’s shoulder, but Wooloo’s captor swats it off.</p><p>“It’s just another ordinary day. We’re all minding our own business, then, out of the blue, I get a call from Leon. Telling me you had ended up in the hospital, covered in cuts, <i>inches</i> away from Death’s door. I drop everything and rush straight here, thinking some barmy bastard put you through some shit, only to find out the cuts were <i>self-inflicted.</i> Some trainer found you right outside of Circhester, <i>bleeding</i> to death, covered in cuts you made <i>yourself.</i> Wanna tell us what’s going on, mate? Wanna tell me why we <i>all</i> had to drop everything and race over here to Circhester, only to find out that you almost cut yourself into an early grave?”</p><p>Hop wraps his arms around his waist, shivering, suddenly seized by even greater frost. His mother and Sonia rush to his side while figures cloaked in white-probably his doctors-check to make sure nothing is out of place. He fights to recover his voice, small whimpers popping out of him.</p><p>“I...I th-th-thought-”</p><p>Victor cuts into him like Malamar’s claws. “Doesn’t look like you ‘thought’ too much of <i>anything.”</i></p><p>“Let him speak. Please.”</p><p>Leon. He’s holding a palm against Victor, having placed himself between Victor and the bedridden Hop, stopping the former from continuing his verbal onslaught. Leon’s voice was stern yet as calm as he could get it to be. And kind. There’s a struggle of immense proportions going on-the Unbeatable Champion is fighting his hardest to stand against overwhelming tides, but is just as fragile as a Cleffa. </p><p>Leon. The brother he believed to be invincible is <i>heartbroken.</i> Hurt. Bleeding on the inside. And it’s all a certain someone’s fault. </p><p>Still holding onto the sobbing Wooloo, Victor acknowledges the Champion’s internal struggle and steps back, allowing Hop to continue. He hates it, hates everything, hates himself for all the pain flowing through that room. Hates it all. “I’m sorry,” he sobs, clutching his sheets, bowing his head, unable to look into his mother’s tear-stained face, unable to look at Leon, unable to look at Sonia, Wooloo or-</p><p>Victor.</p><p>“I’m really, really sorry. I...I just...I just thought everyone would be better off without me.”</p><p>Wrath emerges in the wake of Hop’s words immediately, all of it coming from Victor. <i>”What gave you THAT ridiculous idea?!”</i> the young trainer roars, hands balled into the tightest fists, body shivering, mind and soul engulfed in flame. Doctors and their trusted Pokemon turn to him, making sure chaos doesn’t sweep through the room again, not wanting their patient or anyone for that matter to suffer any more than they already have. “Oh, so you just woke up this morning and thought ‘hey, I know, why don’t I off myself today’?! Is that how it went?!” the brunette goes on to roar, held back by Sonia and her Absol, Wooloo shrieking as loudly as he can-</p><p>“You don’t understand, Vic!”</p><p>
  <i>“Enlighten me, then! Go on! I asked you for an explanation, didn’t I?!”</i>
</p><p>“Cool it,” the young researcher in the room snaps, directing her words at Victor. The air within the room freezes yet again, but is much colder than the last time, the frost within the room almost rendering it uninhabitable. Sonia peers into Victor’s eyes, her own eyes and tone made of fire and sadness. “We’re just as upset as you are, believe me,” she reminds the seething brunette, squeezing his shoulder. “But ripping Hop’s head off isn’t going to make this any easier. At the very least, him explaining himself should give us <i>some</i> insight on why we’re even here.”</p><p>Hop speaks. His voice doesn’t feel like his own, and it’s hoarse and small, but it’s there. “There’s nothing else to explain,” he admits, setting a hand on his throat, making sure it is really his voice that’s coming out of <i>his</i> throat. He’s not only speaking to those within the room, but also to himself, and with each breath, he invites daggers into his chest. </p><p>“I thought it was time for me to disappear. Not like I’m good at anything. I’m no good at being a Pokemon Trainer, no good at being Lee’s brother-”</p><p>Leon took his turn to erupt like a volcano, tears and shock everflowing, spilling into the room and overwhelming it instantly. Victor follows suit, demanding to know who or what in Galar fed those ideas to Hop, Wooloo starts screaming, and all three of them are forced out of the room by Corvisquire and Absol. Sonia murmurs something to Hop’s sobbing mother, and helps one of the doctors to gently usher the heartbroken woman out of the room, then the young researcher returns to Hop’s side. “It’s just us, now,” she murmurs, using a gentle, comforting hand to caress her friend’s back. With doctors fading into blurry gentleness, monitoring his condition, worrying about him, Sonia keeps her eyes firmly on Hop.</p><p>“Come on, tell me. What got into you? You’re the <i>last</i> person I would have expected to pull a stunt like this! You didn’t <i>really</i> wake up and just decide to off yourself, did you?”</p><p>Hop trembles, sobs, bites into his bottom lip. Sonia rubs his back for a few more minutes, not at all emitting anger, but calm, soothing energy. “Come now, you can tell me what’s wrong,” she assures him, her voice soft, kind, warm. A twinkle lights up her eyes-there’s an idea forming in her mind.</p><p>“If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell you a rotten Pokemon joke. No? Okay. Here I go. What’s better than one Pikachu?”</p><p>Leon’s brother frowns, racing to figure out the answer, trying to find at least a somewhat coherent answer in a fog of pain and memories. His mind is a jumbled mess of tears, Leon’s face, his mother’s sobbing, Wooloo’s cries, blood and Victor’s eyes, making it impossible to find an answer to Sonia’s latest riddle. So when she deems him too slow, she presents the answer herself:</p><p>“A Pikatwo.”</p><p>Hop gasps and clutches his throat, feeling something akin to a laugh trying to come out. He freezes, shocked, wondering how something like this is even still possible. He isn’t frozen for too long, though-the riddle was so ridiculous, he couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Despite feeling a hundred years older, despite every inch of his body feeling heavier than a Stonjourner, he laughs. “See?” Sonia asks him, poking his nose with a finger. Her eyes glisten with warm, gentle triumph. “You’re <i>laughing.</i> And that means there’s still a little spark of life in you. I even saw your eyes light up a little bit. So can you look me in the eye and tell me you <i>really</i> want to disappear?”</p><p>Hop tries. He takes a moment to do so, lifting his head, grimacing, hurting, but can’t. He bows his head in the end, tears falling, painting his hands, his sheets. “No,” he replies, his voice a tearful, trembling whimper. He tries to wrap his arms around himself, wanting to retreat, but she wraps her arms around him before he can, bringing him into an unbearably warm hug. “Then <i>why?”</i> she asks, rocking him back and forth. “Why did you want to go away? Why did you want to put that spark out?”</p><p>Hop rests his head on her shoulder, trembling, falling apart like a cracker in milk. “I th-th-thought-”</p><p>“What made you think that? What happened? Come on, I won’t get angry. Please tell me what happened.”</p><p>Hop’s voice is small, muffled, hoarse. “I...I ran into the Chairman’s prodigy, and...he...he said things. Things I’ve been thinking all along. It’s...it’s not really his fault-I...I’ve been thinking these things.”</p><p>Sonia’s gone stiff, but her anger isn’t channeled at Hop. It’s going to someone else entirely. Her tone is still calm and kind, but there’s fury brewing beneath it-a storm very much like the one unfolding beyond the windows. “What things? Are you talking about how you think you’re useless?” she asks, fighting to keep her voice soft. He nods, everything inside of him hurting even more, everything within him and around him becoming a violent blur.</p><p>“He said things. Told me I’m dragging Lee’s name through the mud and whatnot. And I...I already knew that. So I...I thought...Sonia, I’m...I’m so sorry! <i>I’m really, really sorry!”</i></p><p>He weeps, open and raw, head buried in her chest. She keeps it there, wrapping his hands about the back of his neck, rocking him back and forth, assuring him it’s okay, it’ll be okay, everything’s going to be fine. She silences the storm brewing within her, focusing on being the calm waters Hop needs. Once she realizes he has cried himself to sleep, she takes off her coat, wraps it around him, tenderly settles his head against his pillow and leaves the room.</p><p>Leon, Victor and Hop’s mother are right outside the room.</p><p>Sonia bows her head with a soft, trembling sigh. Silence throttles all of them as they wrestle with the events that just took place, and with everything they just heard. “The Chairman’s pet got to him,” the young woman tells them, pain overtaking every crevice, every fiber. She bites her bottom lip before continuing, knowing the ground beneath them is made of thin ice, and even the quietest breath could break everything.</p><p>“And, as much as it pains me to say this, so did being the Unbeatable Champion’s brother. The decision to take his own life wasn’t something he took lightly.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. To Be a Brother or a Champion? Decisions, Decisions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leon finally has a heart-to-heart with Hop. Unfortunately, it's not at all the kind of heart-to-heart talk he would've chosen.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leon, Galar’s Unbeatable Champion, climbed mountains. Has seen the stars up close. He’s been to the moon and back, all on the wings on his Charizard. Kings tremble in fear of the Champion’s might, for no challenge is too great for him to conquer. He believed himself to be invincible, immune to danger and invulnerable to defeat in the vast world of Pokemon and trainers. But-</p><p>That was before <i>the</i> call.</p><p>In mere seconds, Galar’s Unbeatable Champion became no stronger than a Bellsprout. In what couldn’t have been any more than the blink of an eye, his entire world crumbled as though it hadn’t been made of anything but fragile leaves. The ground beneath the all-mighty Champion vanished, leaving him suspended in mid-air, crying out but unable to find his voice. Deafening silence and blinding light-all of it slammed into him, left him dizzy, violently seized by nausea, trying to separate up from down. He only heard the first few seconds of the call, but that was all it took to send him crashing to the floor. Clutching his throat, desperate for even the slightest bit of air, even more desperate for Hop to call him and tell him it was all a joke, something silly to scare the Unbeatable Champion. Charizard popped out of his Pokeball, sensing his friend’s astronomical distress, unwilling to return to said Pokeball or move an inch elsewhere until Leon was fine again, the world kept on spinning and spinning and spinning and <i>oh Arceus, sweet Arceus, please don’t let it be true, not Hop, not his little brother Hop-</i></p><p>If only Raihan had been there.</p><p>If Leon had been asked to choose between getting that call from Circhester’s hospital, or having a Steelix land on him, he would have chosen the latter in a heartbeat. He would’ve welcomed Steelix with another one of his charismatic, magical smiles. It is now he faces yet another challenge-stepping into his little brother’s hospital room. Charizard’s still out of his Pokeball, still determined to remain by his trainer’s side, come what may. And Leon does nothing to discourage him. He thinks about calling Raihan, though, because he definitely needs back-up. Dealing with that call, with Hop, with Hop calling himself <i>useless-</i></p><p>His old friend settles a paw on Leon’s shoulder, his mammoth, fiery frame exuding infinite concern. His mother, Victor and Sonia are back in the waiting room, his mother having already paid Hop another visit, exhausted beyond words, Victor waiting for his turn and Sonia volunteering to go in last. It has been two hours since the young researcher came to them with the truth-Hop was somehow affected by not only Bede, but by Leon’s status as Galar’s Champion. Raihan’s sparring partner should be relieved about paying his brother another visit, because at least Hop’s <i>there</i> for him to visit, but his stomach’s churning with the force of Machamp’s Seismic Toss. Luckily, Charizard’s by his side. Keeping his friend’s warm, benevolent spirit close to mind and close to heart, Leon takes a deep breath and enters his little brother’s room.</p><p>The door slowly opens. Every second feels like an hour, every breath is an invitation for more daggers to pierce his insides. Charizard quietly follows his trainer as Leon enters the dimly-lit room. He quickly stiffens because Hop’s there but his eyes are closed and he’s pale and <i>where is Raihan when you need him-</i></p><p>“Lee.”</p><p>Leon bites into his bottom lip and quickly tastes blood. The urge to vomit is violent but is somehow suppressed. His arms and legs become gelatin, but Charizard uses his own body as a support system, helping the Champion to walk towards his little brother’s bed. Suppressing the urge to vomit <i>and</i> cry becomes harder with every step, his chest is caving in, Arceus, Hop looks and sounds so small-</p><p>So much for being the all-powerful, Unbeatable Champion.</p><p>Leon takes a seat. He’s trembling, seconds away from losing everything within him. Hop’s pain-stricken eyes are on him, most likely waiting for him to speak, heart racing, mind reeling, body submerged in the thickest fog. The silence between them lasts either seconds or hours-Hop can’t tell. Leon breaks it with a smile, but the younger half of the duo immediately decides that hearing his brother’s voice crack is far worse than the silence. “Do you remember the day I brought Wooloo home to you, little brother?” Galar’s greatest champion asks, and Hop’s answer is instant.</p><p>“Yeah, of course I do! I could <i>never</i> forget that day! It was the happiest day of my life!”</p><p>Leon ruffles his little brother’s hair, struggling to keep up a smile that’s breaking every last fiber of Hop’s heart. “It was the day I told you I was going to become Galar’s Champion. I promised to become a Champion you would be <i>proud</i> of.”</p><p>“You are, Lee, you are! I’m <i>super</i> proud of you!”</p><p>The smile becomes much harder to look at. “I should have promised you I’d become a <i>brother</i> you would be proud of. Unfortunately, me becoming the Champion hasn’t done me any favors. The very same promise I made to you back then...almost caused me to <i>lose</i> you.” Leon looks away from a horrified, wide-eyed Hop, head bowed, eyes wielding a fiery cascade of tears and emotions. His voice is quiet but piercing, striking like fire that blazes through the darkest night.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Hoppy. If I could go back and do things differently, I <i>would.”</i></p><p>Hop feels as though he’s been physically skewered. Leon hasn’t called him ‘Hoppy’ in years. And him regretting everything? Becoming the Champion? Wishing none of it had ever happened? </p><p>Hop feels as though his words aren’t making any sense, but he speaks them. He has to. “Wait, Lee, <i>no,</i> don’t, don’t say those things! Please, you becoming the Unbeatable Champion was the <i>coolest</i> thing ever! So many people look up to you. <i>I</i> look up to you!”</p><p>The smile Leon gives him incinerates him. “But you couldn’t come to me when you needed help. What’s the point of being Champion if my little brother doesn’t trust me enough to help him?”</p><p>There are tears, so many tears. Tears everywhere. Breathing. Panting. Trying to grab a hold of even a little bit of air. Hop clutches the sides of his head, trying to gather his thoughts, trying to speak because if he doesn’t, Leon and his Charizard will disappear and everything already hurts so much-</p><p>“Look, Lee, what happened wasn’t your fault! You didn’t do anything! I did it all! I just didn’t want to drag your name down, so I thought-”</p><p>“Disappearing was the best idea? Hoppy, you’ve had some crazy ideas, but that idea <i>definitely</i> blew them all out of the water.”</p><p>Hop squeezes his hands together, trembling, gritting his teeth through the pain that’s just not stopping. Leon ruffles his hair again, with another smile that’s most definitely the worst torture Hop will ever experience. </p><p>“Sorry I failed you as a brother, Hop.”</p><p>Leon rises to his feet, closely monitored by Charizard. Hop gasps, clutching his chest, not wanting his brother to leave. Not on that note. He can’t. Can’t leave thinking that. Can’t. </p><p>“Wait, Lee! <i>Leon!</i> Please, please don’t go! Please, you can’t! You aren’t a bad brother! Please!”</p><p>Leon doesn’t stop, and his Pokemon does nothing to stop him. Hop keeps on crying, keeps telling his brother to stay, to not think of himself as a failure, but Leon’s leaving. Fading away. And Hop lowers his head, every inch of his body suddenly feeling a hundred times heavier. He fights to breathe but can’t. Everything hurts, bleeds, leaves him in tears and grinds his insides into nothing. He cries until he is broken, nothing, and then cries even more, as he is nothing more than sadness and tears. Hurt.</p><p>Leon. Leon hates himself, and it’s all his fault. Leon believes he’s a bad brother, and it’s all his fault. Everything is his fault. Everything. Leon-</p><p>-sets his hands on his little brother’s shoulders. </p><p>Another gasp pops out of Hop. Their eyes meet, there’s a smile on Leon’s face that’s nothing like the smiles he just gave-it’s surprisingly <i>bright.</i> Weak, still burdened with pain, but amazingly bright. And Charizard is close behind, wearing a smile of his own.</p><p>“Why don’t you and I have a Pokemon battle when you’re better, huh? I’ll battle you <i>not</i> as the Unbeatable Champion, but as your brother. If I win, I’ll give you a few pointers, right out of the Champion Handbook. If <i>you</i> win, <i>you</i> have to teach <i>me</i> a few things. Sound good, Hoppy?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Wooloo’s owner nods, breathless, smiling, sobbing. He rubs furiously at his eyes.  “Lee?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Thank you! Thank you, so much! <i>Thank you, Leon!!”</i></p><p>They hug each other and cry until they’re raw, then go on crying some more. Hop weeps into his brother’s chest, feeling safe for the first time in years-probably ever since he was a tiny Hop, watching his brother in action for the very first time. Charizard encases both of them in a hug as they cry, watching over them as they close the distance between them, finally coming together after being apart for far too long. Hop soon falls asleep in his brother’s arms, tears once again dragging him into restless slumber, but Leon doesn’t let him go.</p><p>Victor’s going to have to wait a little while for his turn.</p><p>Raihan texts him a little while later, sending him a selfie from one of his Gym battles with ‘just blasted through another challenger LOL’. Leon looks at the picture of a triumphant, smirking Raihan and chuckles, but does not yet respond. So Raihan follows up with: ‘hey you okay?’</p><p>Leon shakes his head. “It’s like he can read my mind,” he laughs, to Charizard and himself. He then responds with: ‘yeah, just had a really rough morning, I’ll tell you about it later’ and goes back to hugging the sleeping Hop, covering the younger one’s body with his own.</p><p>Raihan calls a minute later but Leon doesn’t answer, because he too is asleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, following this, Leon becomes the greatest brother ever. He hates himself with a passion because of what happened, and vows to <i>always</i> be around for Hop not as an unbeatable hero, but as a sibling. He gives Chairman Rose a pretty fierce talking-to once Hop is out of critical condition, telling him that his star student almost had his little brother wind up dead. It is at that point Chairman Rose ends his partnership with Bede, not at all thrilled to hear about Hop attempting suicide as a result of their last encounter.</p><p>This scene came to mind because of how an in-game exchange between Leon and the protagonist went. Leon mentioned Hop’s inner turmoil, but then passed Hop’s well-being off onto the protagonist’s shoulders, saying something along the lines of ‘oh well, at least you’re around to look after him’. Which left me going WTF, what happened to the magic of brotherhood?</p><p>Thank goodness for the power of the imagination. I just need to figure out who to ship Hop with. :)</p><p>Thank you for being here, my dears. Stay safe.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Dusk, a Wooloo and Kisses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sonia pays another visit to Hop's hospital room. Things have calmed down considerably, and the future promises to be bright. Hop finds their friendship taking an unexpected turn during her visit, though. Is it a turn she rejects? How does he take the turn?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone. Thank you very much for being here. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Leon. Leon hates himself, and it’s all his fault. Leon believes he’s a bad brother, and it’s all his fault. Everything is his fault. Everything. Leon-<br/>
-sets his hands on his little brother’s shoulders.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Another gasp pops out of Hop. Their eyes meet, there’s a smile on Leon’s face that’s nothing like the smiles he just gave-it’s surprisingly bright. Weak, still burdened with pain, but amazingly bright. And Charizard is close behind, wearing a smile of his own.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Why don’t you and I have a Pokemon battle when you’re better, huh? I’ll battle you not as the Unbeatable Champion, but as your brother. If I win, I’ll give you a few pointers, right out of the Champion Handbook. If you win, you have to teach me a few things. Sound good, Hoppy?”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Yeah,” Wooloo’s owner nods, breathless, smiling, sobbing. He rubs furiously at his eyes. “Lee?”</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“Yeah?”</i>
</p><p><i>“Thank you! Thank you, so much! Thank you, Leon!!”</i><br/>
---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Two hours have passed, with hearts being mended and countless tears being shed. The earth beneath their feet remains shaken, unstable as the hours unfold, but their faith in the future is a little stronger. So much remains uncertain, but they’re confident in their drive to protect. To hold onto and cherish the hours that have yet to come. It has become unspoken law to protect Leon’s little brother at all costs, regardless of what the day holds, regardless of how many responsibilities they’re fated to carry, and that law will <i>never</i> be taken lightly. Victor, Sonia, Leon, Hop’s mother and even Hop’s Wooloo vow to keep that law close to heart, come rain, sleet or snow. Even as the ground beneath their feet remains unstable.</p><p>Dusk brushes the floor, walls and curtains of Hop’s hospital room. Wooloo is fast asleep in his old friend’s arms, released by Victor during the latter’s visit. Revelations burden the room with heavy uncertainty, but there’s a glimmer of excitement. Hope. Despite being exhausted beyond words, a certain young Pokemon Trainer bears that light deep within his heart. It’s as close as Wooloo as he slips deeper into the realm of dreams. A young woman quietly slips into his room, her footsteps light and gentle as she approaches her friend’s bed, her heart shining with hope for the future that is yet to come. A smile breaks out as she grows closer, born as a result of the peaceful scene.</p><p>Bearing a warm smile, and a set of twinkling eyes, she caresses the side of Hop’s face with a gentle hand. The Pokemon within his arms stirs, alarmed by her sudden appearance and remembering his recent vow to protect Hop from all harm, but the tiny creature calms down as soon as he recognizes her. Sonia pats Hop’s protective companion on the head, happy to see that such a stalwart friend is determined to keep him safe. It feels as though just a few moments ago, they were all ensnared in a nightmare that wouldn’t ever end. An unexpected nightmare that came dangerously close to breaking all of them down. But in the aftermath of that nightmare came the much-needed glow of relief, happiness. Hope. And it was those gifts of life that burned brightly in the young woman’s eyes, as she stood beside Hop’s bed.</p><p>Sonia cups her friend’s face and kisses his forehead. Her lips linger for a moment, brushing against his forehead as she loses herself in his presence, fearing what life would have become if Hop had succeeded in taking his own life. Their eyes meet a moment later, his opening in shock.</p><p>
  <i>”Ah! Sonia! Sorry, sorry, so sorry!”</i>
</p><p>“What are <i>you</i> apologizing for?” the researcher asks, her eyes aglow in the room’s dusky glow. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve apologized enough already.” She pats Leon’s brother on the head, giving him a smile that would have charmed Meloetta. “How are you feeling? Everything okay?”</p><p>“Couldn’t be better,” Hop replies, stroking Wooloo’s head. His voice is still marred by bone-deep exhaustion, but the light of a bright future burns like a meteor deep within his spirit. Concern and shyness erupt in his tired, gentle eyes. “Are <i>you</i> okay? What about everyone else?”</p><p>She plants another kiss on his forehead, a gentle gesture adorned with awe. “Your mum’s been taken home. Victor took her home. Your brother refuses to leave until you’re well out of danger, so he’s still in the waiting room. Fortunately, Raihan was able to take some time off from Gym challenges to pay him a visit.”</p><p>Hop sighs while clutching a happy Wooloo to his chest. “I have a feeling Lee’s gonna become one of <i>those</i> brothers,” he admits, but not an inch of frustration can be heard or seen. Leon’s well within his right to become one of ‘those’ brothers. And for the first time in years, Leon finally feels like a brother instead of a Champion. That alone makes Hop feel like flying. High enough to meet Mew among the stars.</p><p>“Victor said he’ll be back tomorrow. And don’t you worry your pretty little head about the Chairman’s pet. We’ll deal with him in a bit. Leon and Vic can’t <i>wait</i> to tear him a new one. And before you spout any more nonsense about being useless, and how you agreed with him, this undeniable fact remains: your last conversation with him <i>almost</i> caused us to lose you. We can’t have any more of that, now can we?”</p><p>Silence returns to Hop’s room for a moment. Leon’s brother is a portrait of galactic shyness and adoration, the latter coming from the love passed onto him in the last couple of hours. Wooloo chirps merrily against his chest, thoroughly relieved to see his friend was well on the road to recovery, mentally and physically. “Why are <i>you</i> still here?” Hop asks the young woman at his side softly, eyes shining with confusion and concern. </p><p>“It’s getting late, and Professor Magnolia might be worried.”</p><p>Sonia pokes his nose with a finger. “Not to worry. I called her up and told her what’s going on. She’s more worried about <i>you</i> than anything, love. So am I.”</p><p>She cups his face and peppers his forehead in kisses, each one comforting, loving, electrifying but not at all alarming. She settles his forehead against his, smiling, her entire being brimming with affection that wraps around his tired heart like starlight. “I’m not leaving until you’re out of danger, either,” she vows.</p><p>“I promised the others I’d help keep you safe. And that’s <i>exactly</i> what I intend to do.”</p><p>Sonia wraps her hands around the back of Hop’s head. She settles his head against her chest, eyes closed, murmuring messages of comfort, reassurance, promising to never again let him come so close to taking his own life. Wooloo launches himself onto the floor, allowing the two of them to remain close. Hop shuts his eyes and melts into his friend’s embrace, happy to have her so close, happy to know that she cares so much, happy because she’s so warm and soft and smells so nice and <i>wait.</i> Where is his face again?</p><p>
  <i>”Sweet Arceus, I’m sorry! Soooooo sorry!”</i>
</p><p>Professor Magnolia’s assistant shakes her head, giggling, glowing like a firefly in the greatest darkness.</p><p>“Hop? You apologize <i>way</i> too much, pet. It’s a bad habit.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So Hop ends up with a raging crush on Sonia. And Leon definitely becomes one of those brothers.</p><p>I thought about having Hop end up with either Victor or Sonia for a while. After dipping into the very few Sonia x Hop fanfics, and wanting to try something outside of Trainshipping, I went with Sonia. Here, I wrote her as an incredibly affectionate friend. And Hop didn't feel at all alarmed by her actions. He actually just ends up with a massive crush on her (which he later on tells Victor and Leon about).</p><p>I envision Sonia as being really touchy-feely with Hop, and Hop consenting to her all of her actions. Yes, he's not yet of age, but they don't get into R-rated territory. Unless you're 100% comfortable with them doing so, then go right ahead, imagine away. :) We're in a fictional world, inhabited by fictional characters, and we're all in desperate need of a break away from reality.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Epilogue: Hop gives his thoughts on everything that occurred, and how he plans on moving into the future.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>I think it’s been three weeks since I left the hospital in Circhester.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Wooloo and the gang won’t let me out of their sight. It’s a mountain climb and a half, getting them back in their Pokeballs. Sometimes it’s impossible to get them to go back in their balls, because they’re so afraid of losing me. Scorbunny tries to set me on fire every time I even think of putting him back in his Pokeball. So I end up walking around with a team of Pokemon at my back sometimes, because I just don’t have it in me to shut them down.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Mum cries whenever she calls me. I think she tells me she loves me at least fifty times a day. Leon barely lets me out of his sight, and when he does, he pretty much calls me every five minutes to make sure I’m okay. I told Sonia he was gonna become one of those brothers, and that’s exactly what happened. But I can’t blame him. Not after everything I put him through.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Vic’s still pretty sore with me. Can’t blame him for the way he feels, either. Sonia and my mum told me to give him some time, because I spooked him pretty badly with what I tried to pull off. I mean, he says at least three words to me every time we meet, but he’s still pretty miffed, and I’m okay with that. I deserve it, after everything that’s happened.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Funny to think of how I could be dead right now, lying in the snow on the side of a mountain. I may have wanted it back then, but now? Now I’m grateful. I’m grateful to the trainer that saved my life. I’m grateful to everyone I’ve got at my back. I didn’t know I had so many amazing people by my side, and I’m sorry it took so much pain for us to get here, but here we are. Here I am, and I don’t plan on turning back. Do I regret what I did? I was in a really dark place for a while, and believed I was all alone. The world was nothing more than a dark, cold chasm, a void that left me feeling worthless and lonely. I can’t say I regret what I did, because it brought so much to light. Weird, considering I could have died, and I wouldn’t be here writing any of this, but there’s a lot I’ve got to be happy about. A lot to be thankful for. I finally found out that I really do have a brother, and the coolest bunch of friends at my side. I found out I was wrong about my mum. And I’m in love.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>I’m in love. Definitely nothing I thought I’d ever write. I mean, me? A loser? Being in love? Talk about a joke, right?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>I’m really sorry about everyone that can’t feel the same way. I’m really sorry about everyone that ends up in a dark, cold place, and they have no way of ever getting out. But you know what? I’m going to help as many people as I can. With Arceus as my witness, I’m going to try to save at least one person from feeling the way I did. I don’t know if I’m ever going to make my dream of becoming Galar’s next Champion true, but I’m going to mend at least one person’s heart. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt back there.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>I want them to know they’ve got at least one friend. In me.</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Stay safe, fellow Pokemon Trainers, and hang in there. You can do this.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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